Tunnel kiln



Oct. 2, 192a.

. C. F. GEIGER TUNNEL KILN, FURNACE, AND THE LIKE Filed Feb. 1, 1927 4 Sheets-Sheet INVENTOR c. F. GEIGE R TUNNEL KILN, FURNACE, AND THE LIKE 4 Sheets-Sheet V 2 Filed Feb. 1, 1927 VN MN XNVENTOR Oct. 2, 1928.

C. F. GEIGER TUNNEL KILN, FURNACE, AND THE LIKE Filed Feb. 1, 1927 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR Oct 2, 1928.

1,686,083 c. F. GEIGER TUNNEL KILN, FURNACE, AND THE LIKE Filed Feb. 1, 1927 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Get. 12, 1928.

CHARLES E. GEIGER, OF METUCI-IEN, NE V "ERSEY, liSSIG rIOR TU CAB/130127133 DTJ'ItE COMPANY, OF NIAGARA FALLS, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVABTIA.

TUNNEL KILN, FURNACE, AND THE LIKE.

Application filed February 1, 1927. Serial No. 165,109.

This invention relates to tunnel kilns, furnaces and the like, and more particularly to Constructions of this nature wherein combustion chambers of the radiating combustion type are employed.

Radiating combustion chambers of the type disclosed in Cannon Patent Nos. 1,371,773, 1,371.774: and 1,550,340 are well-known in the art, and consist primarily of a chamber formed of silicon carbide or other material having a high coefficient of thermal conductivity with means provided at one end of the structure for introducing fuel, either liquid or gaseous hydrocarbons or powdered coal.

In kilns, glass tanks, metallurgical furnaces, and similar combustion installations, there is a great mass of masonry and brick work which becomes highly heated during the operation of the furnace and which stores a considerable amount of heat. When repairs to that part of the furnace bearing the combustion burden have to be made, it is necessary to suspend the operation of the furnace and permit the structure to cool off sufliciently to permit workmen to gain access to the part of the the structure to be repaired. In some installations this requires several days, and several days are required after the repairs have been made to bring the furnace back to its operating temperature. According to the present invention it is proposed to provide quickly'removable heating elements of the radiating combustion type whereby the heating elements may be quickly removed and repairs can be quickly made without necessitating the cooling down of the furnace, and without any considerable interruption in the continuity of service.

My invention may be readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate certain preferred embodiments of the invention, and in which:

Fig. 1 represents a horizontal section longi tudinally of a kiln wherein invention is embodied.

. Fig. 2 is .a longitudinal vertical section through the burner units themselves.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical section through the center of the kiln in the plane of line IIIIII of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4c is a transverse vertical section in the plane of line IV IV of Fig. 3.

- 'Fig. 5 is a similar section. in the plane of line V V' of Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a perspective View showing another form of combustion chamber which may be conveniently employed.

Fig. 7 illustrates still a further modified form of combustion chamber wherein part of the combustion chamber is adapted to be re movably mounted in the furnace while the other part is permanently positioned in the furnace. I

In the drawings, 2 designates a kiln having a longitudinal central chamber 3 with tracks t extending continuously along the bottom thereof. Movable through the kiln chamber are a plurality of cars 5 adapted to carry the wares to be burned.

These cars are of the usual construction employed in kilns of this type, and a sand seal is preferably provided for the cars at each side thereof, as indicated at 6.

Extending along each side of the tunnel kiln are guideways 7, which preferably have tracks 8 in the bottoms thereof. Movable along the guideways 7 are slabs 9, these slabs preferably being supported on trucks 10 rolling on the tracks 8. Mounted on each of the slabs 9 is a combustion chamber preferably of the Cannon radiating type, these combustion chambers being of dimensions and shapes adaptable to the particular design of the furnace.

In Fig. 2, the combustion chambers are shown as having an upper combustion chamber 12 and a lower flue 13 with outlet ports 14 in the. sides thereof, these ports being adapted to register with lead-in flues 15 at each side of the central kiln passage. Each of the combustion chambers has a burner 16 at one end thereof.

The slabs or cars 9 have aprons 17 depending therefrom which cooperate with troughs 18 along the guideway 7 for providing a sand seal to prevent excessive infiltration of air about the burners. The ends of the passages 7 may be provided with doors 19, as shown in Fig. 5, the doors extending down over the ends of the passages 7 only as far as the sand seal whereby the lower part of the guideway is continuously open to the circulation of air, thereby allowing for some cooling of the trucks and metal work of the cars.

Along the inner edge of each passageway 7 I have shown a trough 20 adapted to collect any slag that tends to form at this point and prevent the same from flowing into the space between the slabs or cars 9 and the gnidcway, as the accumulation of slag in this space and the subsequent freezing thereof would prevent the free removal of the cars.

In the construction herein described, the kiln is of the direct-tired type and there is no intervening wall between the ware receiving chamber 3 and the combustion chan'ibers. The arrangement is such that the cars 9 can be readily ren'ioved from the kiln structure and rolled back into place, so that repairs to the combustion chambers can be readily made outside the kiln without necessitating the cooling down of the kiln or discontinuing its operation for any considerable period of time. If there is a tendency for slag to form in such manner as to cause the cars to become frozen into the guideways, it is possible for the cars to be rcciprocated a short distance each day to break any accumulation of slag that collects.

Instead of using combustion chambers of the type particularly illustrated in Fig. 2, the combustion chamber may be of the form shown in Fig. 6. In this figure, 21 is the combustion chamber having but a single passage therein and having ports 2:2 in one side thereof. These ports are adapted to register with the lead-in flues 15.

In Fig. 7 I have shown still another form of combustion chamber. In the form of the device shown in this figure there are two parts, 23 and 2%, adapted to be arranged in the same horizontal plane. The combustion chamber 23 has a single outlet port 25 in the side wall thereof at its end remote from the burner end of the chamber. This port registers with a similar port 26 in the second member 24. The second member 24 has ports 27 distributed along one side thereof. It is proposed that the part 24 could be permanently located in the kiln while the part 23 can be mounted on one of the cars. With this arrangement the part 23 would be the only part which could be removed by removing the cars.

The principal advantages of the invention arise from the extreme facility with which repairs can be made to a kiln or to other types of furnaces without considerable loss of time. The invention furthermore makes practical the use of combustion chambers to certain types of kilns and other apparatus where their use has not heretofore been considered advisable. The arrangement also permits of a minimum number of fuel burn ers'with the possibility of heat and atmosphere control in dififerent parts of the kiln.

A further advantage resides from the use of trucks for supporting the combustion chambers soar-ranged that the metal work of the trucks can be cooled by circulation of air thereabout, the arrangement being such, however, that there is no excessive infiltration of air about the burners themselves.

Various well known ways may be used for cooling any parts sub]ected to the heatof the furnace either in operation or when one 7 of the combustion units has been removed. Upon removal of a unit, it ispos sible to immediately run in a new unit, or a slab with no combustion chamber thereon, such slab serving to protect the track and other parts ex posed to the heat of the structure upon removal of the burner unit.

While I have shown and described my invention as being applied to a, continuous direct tired tunnel kiln, it will be understood that the invention is applicable to other types of fuel burning installations, such as muffle kilns, glass tanks, metallurgical furnaces, boilers, and the like. It will also be understood that the invention is not confined to the particular construction and arrangement of parts illustrated, and that various modifications may be made in the form of the combustion chamber and in the construction of the trucks, as the trucks may be movably guided into the furnace in any suitableor preferred manner. Various other changes and modifications may be madewithin the contemplation of my invention and under the scope of the following claims:

I claim:

1. In a fur ace structure having a combustion space therein, a guideway in the combustion space, and combustion chambers movable along the guideway into and out of the coin bustion space of the furnace.

2. The combination with a furnace having a passageway therein, of a combustion chamber movable along the passageway.

3. The combination with a furnace having a pasageway therein forming the combustion space of the furnace, of a radiating combustion chamber movable along the passageway.

4. The combination with a furnace having a passageway therein, of a supporting slab movable along the passageway into and out of the furnace, and a combustion chamber mounted on the slab.

5. The combination with a furnace, a passageway in the furnace, a slab movable along the passageway into and out of the furnace,

trucks on which the slab is supported, a track in the passageway on which the trucks are mounted, and a radiating combustion chamber mounted onthe slab.

6. The combination with a furnace having a passageway therein, of a combustion chamber movable along the passageway into and out of the furnace, a supporting member for the combustion chamber, and cooperating means between the supporting member and the passageway for providing an air seal.

7 The combination with a furnace having a passageway therein, a combustion chamber movable along the passageway into and out of the furnace, a supporting member for the combustion chamber, a cooperating means be tween the supporting member and the passageway for providing an air seal, and a door at the end of the passageway.

8. In a furnace structure, a passageway, a truck movable along the passageway into and out of the furnace, a combustion chamber mounted on the truck, sand troughs along the passageway, means on the truck extending into the sand troughs to provide an air seal, and a door at the end of the passageway adapted to exclude air from the portion of the pas sageway above the sand troughs only, where by an air circulating passage for cooling the trucks is provided below the sand seals.

9. A furnace having an elongated combustion passage, a supporting slab movable along the passage into and out of the furnace, and a combustion chamber mounted on the slab.

10. A furnace having an elongated combustion passage, a refractory supporting slab movable along the passage into and out of the furnace and a radiating combustion chamber mounted on the slab.

11. In a furnace structure, an elongated combustion passage, a Supporting member movable along the passage into and out of the furnace, a radiating combustion chamber on the supporting member, said radiating combustion chamber having outlet openings therein, and a slag trough in the furnace adapted to collect any slag accumulation between the furnace and the outlet port of the combustion chamber.

12. A furnace structure having a passageway therein, a plurality of lead-in fiues along the passageway, supporting members movable along the passageway, and a radiating combustion chamber on the supporting member, said radiating combustion chamber having outlet ports therein adapted to register with lead-in fines in the furnace.

13. A furnace structure having a tunnel extending throughout the length thereof, a pas sageway in the furnace parallel to the tunnel, and a combustion chamber movable along the passageway into and out of the furnace.

14. A furnace structure having a tunnel eX- tending throughout the length thereof, a pas sageway in the furnace structure parallel with the tunnel, a truck movable along the passageway, and a combustion chamber on the truck.

15. A furnace structure having a tunnel extending throughout the length thereof, a passageway in the furnace structure. parallel with the tunnel, a truck movable along the passageway, and a radiating combustion chamber on the truck.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

CHARLES F. GEIGER. 

